


Inopportune Delay

by Queen_Moony



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22095757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen_Moony/pseuds/Queen_Moony
Summary: Alastor was very worried.Of course, he would never admit it out loud, but all those around the Radio Demon could tell by how strained his smile was, and how the edges of his outline seemed to fizz into the air around him while accompanied by a quiet static sound. His gaze- which flickered back and forth between his normal gaze and the dials he was so infamous for- were firmly fixed on the front door of the hotel.The cause?Charlie hadn’t yet returned home. Normally that would not be cause for concern- they were together, yes, but they weren’t joined at the hip by any means- however tonight was the annual extermination in Hell.
Relationships: Alastor/Charlie Magne
Comments: 19
Kudos: 420





	Inopportune Delay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kore-Winters](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kore-Winters).



> So... I am really kind of nervous about posting this! I haven't sat down and written a story in so long that it was sort of hard to do. I'm glad I did though, maybe I'll find it easier to write again now that I've broken the ice in a way.
> 
> This is a Secret Santa gift for my friend on discord, and I chose her prompt of 'protect'. I hope you enjoy it!

Alastor and Charlie shared a mutual respect for one another. For Charlie that was rare because most everyone wrote her off as a soft soul who was weak but happened to have powerful parents. For Alastor it was incredibly rare for someone to respect and admire him, but not out of fear.

Alastor knew that Charlie was strong and she saw under his rather terrifying exterior and found something to love.

Both of them knew that the other could take care of themselves, but that didn’t stop them from worrying.

Alastor was very worried.

Of course, he would never admit it out loud, but all those around the Radio Demon could tell by how strained his smile was, and how the edges of his outline seemed to fizz into the air around him while accompanied by a quiet static sound. His gaze- which flickered back and forth between his normal gaze and the dials he was so infamous for- were firmly fixed on the front door of the hotel.

The cause?

Charlie hadn’t yet returned home. Normally that would not be cause for concern- they were together, yes, but they weren’t joined at the hip by any means- however tonight was the annual extermination in Hell.

Charlie was strong and capable, but no demon could truly hold their own against the angels and their weapons.

He had asked her- the Radio Demon never begged, that’s not what he did at all- to put off the latest hotel business for just a day.

Of course, she declined.

Charlie had come too far with the hotel to put anything off regarding it, something Alastor would ordinarily admire. She had, of course, also pointed out that he would be out that day for his meeting with Valentino. She would be just as fine as he would be if they both returned to the hotel before twelve.

The angels were nothing if not punctual when it came to the annual slaughter.

They both agreed to be back by ten pm at the latest as the ordinary chaos that made up Hell turned into something much more frantic as the time for extermination loomed ever nearer. Demons everywhere would fight anyone who got in their way as they struggled to fit into over-crowded buildings to hide. An effort that was, sadly, most often in vain.

Very few spots in Hell were truly safe from the wrathful angelic presence that “blessed” them every year, protected by wards strong enough to repel them for a short period. Only the elite of Hell, the strongest demons, could muster such a spell for any duration of time. It was how the Overlords of Hell had stayed alive as long as they had.

Alastor, true to his word, arrived exactly at ten. Husk was behind the bar even though the few tenants they had were safely tucked into their rooms, nursing a bottle of what was undoubtedly some type of cheap booze. He was slumped up against the bar he tended, clearly bent on forgetting the carnage that would soon be taking place outside of the hotel’s doors.

Nifty hopped off of the grand staircase in Alastor’s peripheral vision, unusually subdued as she made her way over to the bar and climbed- with some difficulty- onto one of the barstools to keep Husk company. He didn’t spare her so much as a grunt, but she looked more at ease with their proximity.

The Radio Demon went further into the common room, sparing a glance around to note that Angel-Dust and Vaggie were seated at one of the offered tables; trying, and failing, to involve themselves in some type of card game. It was a mere fleeting thought that showed surprise at the fact that a card game was taking place without Husk being all over it, but with the night being what it was, it wasn’t as surprising as it would normally be.

Charlie, however, wasn’t there. That took precedence over everything else, and Alastor nearly turned on his heel right there and then to go back out to look for her. Angel and Vaggie both seemed to notice him at the same time, and when he turned to leave they both tried to reassure him that Charlie would be back soon. They knew, and rightfully so, that Alastor should stay at the hotel. Alastor didn’t seem to hear any of it, not indicating acknowledgment until Husk’s slurred voice piped up from behind the bar.

“Ya know that if ya go out to look fer her and she comes back here and sees you missing that she’ll jus’ go right back out again to look fer ya. It’ll turn into one big shitshow.”

That had managed to give him some pause. There was every chance that she was just running a bit late, and if he left now, he could make the situation worse. He relented, going to sit on the couch where he could still keep an eye on the doors.

That logic was losing its hold on him by the time the grandfather clock in the lobby struck eleven and Charlie was still nowhere to be found. As though sensing Alastor’s inner turmoil, Husk called out in an increasingly drunken tone, “she still ‘as those damn goats o’ hers,” as if that would somehow fix the fact that she wasn’t there.

She still had Razzle and Dazzle, but at this point, even Vaggie and Angel were sharing concerned looks.

“...She’ll be home soon.” Vaggie spoke aloud, trying to sound sure of herself. No one bothered to try and respond.

Twelve grew ever nearer and the panicked screams and shouts that could be heard faintly from outside the hotel increased in consistency and volume. Likewise, the tension within the common room grew heavier.

While no one risked voicing it for fear of setting the Radio Demon off, concern for Charlie was rising. It shouldn't be taking so long when she had Razzle and Dazzle. They should have had her home by then, _so what was taking so long?_

The clock struck twelve and the screams began in earnest.

Alastor's eyes had long since turned completely into dials and reality for about a foot around him was starting to warp into static. His smile was nothing more than a stretched, forced thing that resembled a grimace rather than a grin. He was all too aware, as were the rest of the worried group, that anyone who left the hotel stood a very real risk of being killed.

"I'm going to look for her." Alastor's voice was barely comprehensible due to all the glitching and static interference, and as he rose from his chair with a clatter, no one was brave enough to try and tell him no. No one wanted to die again, even temporarily.

Alastor's form all but warped to the large wooden doors leading into the hotel, unlocking the doors with a snap of his clawed fingers as he was too far gone to bother with the lock manually. The screams rose around him as he crossed the threshold of the hotel and shut the door firmly behind himself, breathing in the air thick with the scent of blood and terror.

From the moment he stepped through the doorway he was on his guard, his gaze sharp and searching as he moved down the drive and through the iron gates out into the ruined street. Smoke rose from several craters in the pavement and buildings looked far worse for wear but he paid it little mind as he called forth a few shadows to stand before him.

“Find her.” The order was short but the shadows didn’t need anything more, melting into a dark mark on the sidewalk and dashing off. Alastor straightened, moving forward once more with purpose as he scoured for any sign of the wayward princess.

Occasionally a demon or two would flee past him, but it was more frequent for him to pass by a demon he had thought dead from its wounds only for the pained creature to startle slightly as he crossed over them carelessly, letting out whimpers and moans as they clung to their life for as long as they could with the wounds they had sustained. He could also feel eyes upon him from every opening in the buildings he passed but he ignored them all, only pausing to step into the shadows and melt into them when an angel came into view. Once the threat had passed, he moved on.

Soon enough, but having taken far too long for Alastor’s liking, one of his shadows materialized in front of him. Instantly he was hit with a wave of intense anxiety that did not belong to him but rather the small creature before him, merely compounding his fear over the matter no matter how he tried to shove his emotions down.

“Take me there.” He demanded, his voice hardly more than a screech of what sounded to be a needle on a record. The shadow didn’t need further prompting, grabbing Alastor’s hand and sinking into the nearest non-sentient shadow with him close behind. There was the feeling of weightlessness and an inky darkness around him so deep one could drown in it, but it lasted only a few moments before they were stepping out onto a field of dead grass.

They had arrived at the park nearest to the hotel, a place that was used mostly by junkies wanting to get high with one another and loiter about, but now it was almost empty.

Almost; as Charlie was collapsed on the dead grass with a hand over her side, crimson staining her skin and leaking from between her fingers while her other hand tried to steady herself against the ground. On either side of her lay Razzle and Dazzle, the goats small and still in pools of their blood from where they had attempted to protect the princess, as was their purpose. They seemed to have put up a good fight as two angels laid on the ground around them.

Towering above the fallen trio stood the third angel, its chest gouged and leaking blue as it tottered on two twisted legs, one of its wings spread out behind its back proudly while the other hung toward the ground at an odd angle. It held an angelic spear, and as Alastor watched, it lifted the blade and prepared to land the finishing blow on the injured demoness before it.

All of this had been taken in by Alastor in a few seconds, and he didn’t even hesitate when he saw what was about to occur. He moved without thinking, a blur of color and a wave of cacophonous sound, static, and screams that were not his own. The angelic blade found itself embedded in his shoulder rather than in Charlie’s skull, and he stayed on his feet through sheer force of will as it burned at his very essence. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the gasp of his name from behind him and bringing wickedly clawed hands up to grab at the metallic hilt of the spear. His grin could only be compared to the feral snarl of a trapped wild animal, his antlers twisting high above his head as he pinned the angel with his glowing red gaze.

The angel might have been surprised, might have even been afraid, he couldn’t tell because of the damned masks that they wore and he didn’t care. All he cared about was getting rid of the threat. With a pained screech of his own, he pulled the blade out of his shoulder with a sickening squelch and a wave of fresh blood, taking a step forward as the angel took a step back and nearly fell on its ruined limbs.

There was a brief tug of the spear by the angel but Alastor took care of that issue easily enough, knocking the weapon free of both of their grasps. It fell to the grass a few feet away, the angel sparing it a glance before looking back to the infuriated demon looming before it with a grin that was far wider and sharper than could ever be considered normal; even for a demon.

It met its demise swiftly, brought down by Alastor as the Radio Demon physically knocked the creature to the ground and fell upon it with his teeth and claws, refusing to stop until he was sure that the damned thing was dead. Only when he was covered in blue blood that burned at his exposed skin faintly and the angel had stopped twitching did he sit back.

Alastor’s ears flicked backward before he swiveled in place, turning to face his dear Charlotte where she lay upon the ground, her eyes half-lidded and revealing a gaze that was more her mother’s then her own. Her chest rose and fell with short pants, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth as she seemed to swallow a cry of pain, her efforts to stem the bleeding from the wound on her side waning as she weakened.

“Charlotte…” Alastor moved forward immediately, wiping his hands as free of blood as he could on his pants before reaching forward and placing one hand over Charlie’s, adding to the pressure and making her eyes open wider as the pain brought her back from the brink of sleep for a short time.

“Stay awake, do you hear me chère? You need to stay awake. You’re going to be fine.” Distantly he noted he had probably never sounded quite so broken, but as he used his free hand to move some of her hair from her tear-streaked face, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

She didn’t respond verbally, probably untrusting of her voice, but instead she offered him a small nod, her lips quirking up into a weak and shaky smile. He knew it was for him and it was all for show as more tears trailed down her cheeks and her eyes fluttered shut on another pained grimace. Alastor wasted no more time, snapping his fingers and calling five small shadows into existence.

“Grab the goats and the spear. Follow me.” While his voice still held the static undertones the shadows showed full comprehension, two moving to each Razzle and Dazzle and lifting their bodies as a pair. The fifth went to the spear and started dragging it along as Alastor carefully lifted Charlie in a hold as gentle as he could make it, trying his best to keep the pressure on her wound as he did so. It pulled at his shoulder terribly, but perhaps adrenaline prevented him from feeling it as much as he should since he didn’t pause, rising from his kneeling position with his love in his arms.

He kept his eyes on hers as he started forward with a hurried gait that hopefully wouldn’t jar her too badly, trying to remain calm. She was looking at him, she was still alive, and he would be damned again if he let her slip away from him. Alastor all but ran into the nearest shadow, trusting his minions were following dutifully behind as they emerged from the shadow of the hazbin hotel cast by the bloody moon.

If the ward wasn’t as effective he could have teleported into the hotel, but this was close enough. Taking the steps up to the front doors two at a time, he didn’t spare the wooden slats a glance as they buckled and gave way under his power. He entered the hall, met with the sight of Vaggie, Angel, and Husk all brandishing some kind of weapon as they skidded around the corner as a group.

When they saw who it was, their attitude immediately took a turn. Vaggie was the first to drop her weapon, running forward and meeting Alastor halfway as Charlie’s eyes finally slipped shut. The Radio Demon could feel his nonexistent heart stop when that happened, but he could feel that she was still breathing. It wasn’t as comforting as it should have been.

What did angelic blades do to demons born from a pair in Hell?

“Ya need to let her go.” Husk’s voice broke him out of his spiraling thoughts and Alastor blinked, realizing that the cat demon was trying his best to take Charlotte from him carefully. He very nearly lashed out, but a gentle, small hand on his injured arm made him pause.

“We just want to help her,” Nifty promised when Alastor glared down at her, and finally he relinquished his hold on her, allowing Husk to take her and whisk her up the stairs where a resident doctor was likely about to have a very rude awakening. They were just lucky they had someone with medical experience wanting to be reformed at the hotel. If not…

Well, he didn’t want to think about that.

~~~~

“It was close. We almost lost her, she lost a lot of blood.” Alastor watched the demonic doctor with sharp eyes as the woman spoke and ran a clawed hand through her brown hair that had almost completely fallen from the tight bun she kept it in.

“She’ll be okay though, you got her here just in time. You’ll both have scars but otherwise, I don’t believe that there will be any ill effects so long as we keep tending both of your wounds.” She added, and Alastor’s forced smile widened a bit, adding to the tension the poor demoness must have felt by simply being in his presence.

“You don’t _believe_?” He asked with static filtering through the last word. In her defense, the doctor didn’t flinch.

“I don’t foresee any issues arising, but if there are any, I will deal with them.” She promised, nervously fiddling with some of the stray hairs framing her face.

Silence reigned, and after double-checking on her unconscious patient lying on the plush bed in the room, she excused herself and left, closing the door behind her. Once she left, Alastor moved to sit in the chair at Charlie’s bedside, ignoring the spark of pain that flared as he jolted his injured arm by doing so.

His wound had been stitched up and bandaged, and while he felt drained enough to sleep, he refused to leave Charlie’s side and instead chose to stay awake and keep watch over her. He let out a quiet sigh, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly as he allowed his eyes to shut and his smile to fade from his face. No one would know, the only other person in the room was someone he trusted implicitly and she was asleep in any case.

It was over. She was safe.


End file.
